Thanks to Syolen, caseyedith, and Lime Grass for their wonderful reviews-you guys ROCK!
To-do on Thursday... do laundry, exercise, post drabble, acquire rights to Rurouni Kenshin... Aw, well, at least one thing got done.
Panacea
-noun
1. a remedy for all disease or ills; cure-all.
Soak in warm water, add soap; scrub against washboard until pristine, twist to remove excess water; place in wicker basket to hang up in the warm summer sunshine later.
It is hard, physical labor: it makes the small of his back hurt to bend over the low tub, his shoulders burn, and if he isn't careful the strong lye soap will dry his hands until they crack and bleed. But it is honest work, immediately helpful to the people around him. Yahiko is too small to scrub effectively, and Kaoru is grateful for the reprieve. Kenshin is grateful to be helping, adding to life instead of taking it away.
He is scrubbing his stains away, one by one.